ATHERTON, Calif. - After taking down Cal Poly Humboldt in their regular season-opening game of the Menlo Kickoff on Thursday, Fresno Pacific took to the field in Atherton once again on Saturday and picked up where they left off, beating host Menlo, 3-0. Junior
Zion Vaughn led the offensive charge with his 2
nd two-goal performance of the season.
"I'm proud of the way we competed today. The energy and intensity was contagious." Said Coach
Cameron Shahrokhi. "Menlo is a good team, and that is a tough place to play. We executed the game plan well, and it was great to get our first shutout and come home 2-0 to start the season"
After 16 scoreless minutes, the Sunbirds drew a corner, and
Daniel Perez struck a perfect ball into the box. Vaughn elevated and headed the ball into the upper right corner to put the 'Birds up 1-0.
Fresno Pacific wouldn't need to wait long for their 2
nd goal of the match. In the 29
th minute, the ball found Vaughn's foot yet again. Thanks to a through ball from
Manuel Martinez, the University of the Pacific transfer and 2025 All-PacWest First Team selection finished far post to give the Sunbirds a 2-0 first half lead. For Vaughn, the goal gave him back-to-back braces to open the 2026 campaign. It's also the 4
th multi-goal performance in the Junior's Fresno Pacific career.
In the 2
nd half, the Sunbirds turned defense into offense. After a poor corner from the Oaks, Martinez sparked a Fresno Pacific counter-attack that drew Menlo's keeper out of goal and earned a throw-in. While the Menlo defense tried to get back, the Sunbirds quickly put the ball back in play. The throw found the foot of
Brandon Lopez, who booted it down and immediately found
Shogo Haraikawa, who shortsided the keeper to give the Sunbirds a 3-0 advantage. The goal is Haraikawa's first goal in the Blue and Orange since joining FPU from Xavier University ahead of the 2026 season.
The Oaks outshot the Sunbirds 10-9 in the match, but the Fresno Pacific defense limited the quality of those chances with only one of the 10 Menlo shots coming on goal.
After starting the season 2-0 on the road, Shahrokhi expressed eagerness about the Sunbirds upcoming homestand. "We are looking forward to getting back to training and improving. Two big games against quality opponents this week. We would love to see the community on Wednesday and Saturday night."
UP NEXT: Fresno Pacific return home to Ramirez Field for the regular season home opener Wednesday at 6pm in a non-conference clash with Cal State San Bernardino, who received votes in the preseason NCAA Division II Coaches poll.
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